Did Gift Cards Change the Mexican Presidential Election?

Voters in Mexico say they were given gift cards to support the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in that country’s presidential election held on July 1. The gift cards, for a Mexican grocery store, were worth 100 pesos, or US$7.50.

From an Associated Press story:

Some of the people lined up to use gift cards said they got them for supporting the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, whose Enrique Pena Nieto won Sunday's presidential election, according to the preliminary official vote count. Some wore red T-shirts and baseball caps with Pena Nieto's name printed in white.Mexican authorities are investigating allegations that the cards were used in vote-buying, and there already have been calls for a recount independent of the gift card question. This scandal won’t help the image of gift cards here or abroad, as vote-buying was not what any issuer had in mind when they said prepaid cards make for good incentives.